They are called a lawn mower, not a rock garden mower!

What I mow is irrelevant. The point is I have never had a mower this cheaply made. To save a few pennies, Sears used a cheap strip of metal when all they had to do is use a little thicker gauge metal.

Sometimes you're gonna run over something unexpectedly, like a kidÂs toy, or anything else hidden in the grass. I would expect a lawnmower housing to be sturdy enough to handle that without getting bent out of shape. At the least, I wouldnÂt expect to be able to bend the guard with my bare hands.

The same thing happened to my Craftsman 550 series mower. The welding came apart on one side. I heard a loud grating noise until it stopped completely because it got bent by the blade. The welding point was poorly done. This mower is only 2 years old, and I know that this has never happened to a mower my parents have ever owned over the decades. I am so tired of cheap-made products. SICK OF IT.

Olp: Don't get bent out of shape you know Rusty is only funnin with Yeah ! But you and Sue bring up some valid points , Numerous Consumer Products are being affected by the Bottom Line $$ . North American Products are suffering accordingly . Any and all cost saving's are being utilized. Even with Iso Quality assurance poor welding practice's fall through the cracks . Sign of the times unfortunately . I guess Snapper and Toro's gain and Sears's Loss eventually .